Swimming pool wall construction



Jan. 6, 1970 D. GREENE swmmme POOL WALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1968 INVENTOR. DAV/D GREENE AT TORNEYS Jan. 6, 1970 D. GREENE SWIMMING POOL WALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1968 I N VEN TOR. DAV/D GREENE AT TORNEYS United States Patent 3,487,600 SWIMMING POOL WALL CONSTRUCTION David Greene, 20 Ferris Drive, West Orange, NJ. 07052 Filed June 10, 1968, Ser. No. 735,616 Int. Cl. E04b 2/72; E02d 27/30 US. Cl. 52-282 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A swimming pool wall construction having a wall section with one or more vertical bends, top and bottom flanges which are notched in registration with the vertical bends, splice plates attached to the flanges, bridging the notches, and braces attached to both the splice plates and to the wall section along the bends.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to swimming pool wall construction, and particularly to a swimming pool wall construction that may be utilized for many and various swimming pool shapes.

PRIOR ART SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been found that a pool wall construction can be devised which will not be excessively costly, will have great strength, and will lend itself to a wide variety of eccentric or non-symmetrical shapes, with concave and convex portions. This is accomplished by the use of reinforcing splice plates. They are attached to the flanges to bridge the notches; then reinforcing braces are attached at each end to the splice plates. The braces are also attached to the wall at the bend.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be attained by the pool wall construction shown by way of illustration in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pool wall section with top and bottom flanges;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view thereof notched and bent with a concave shape;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view thereof notched and bent with a compound shape;

FIGURE 4 is a partial top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of a typical splice late; p FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a wall section bent into panels set at different angles to each other;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a brace;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a brace attached to top and bottom splice plates;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a brace oppositely attached to the top and bottom splice plates; and 2 FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of a complete swimming pool with an end concave section.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Referring now to the drawings in detail, the swimming pool wall construction presents a generally vertical wall 11, which is provided with a generally perpendicular top flange 12, and a generally perpendicular bottom flange 13, both of which are disposed in a horizontal direction and in parallelism with each other. The flanges 12, 13 extend outwardly from the swimming pool. In order to provide a wall of versatility insofar as adaptability to various pool configurations, notches of two general kinds are provided in the flanges 12, 13. These notches are cut in the flanges 12, 13 in vertical registration with each other. Where the swimming pool (from the inside) is to have a concavity, the notch is a slit 14. Where the swimming pool (from the inside) is to have a convexity, the notch in the flanges 12, 13 is a generally triangular cut-out notch 15. The use of these notches is shown in FIGURE 3, wherein it will be seen that slit 14 defines a concavity of the swimming pool wall 11, and the triangular cut-out notch 15 defines a convexity in the swimming pool wall 11. In FIGURE 2, notches in the form of slits 14 define a concavity in the pool wall. It will be understood that the three-panel wall shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 is used as an illustration merely for convenience, for the walls may be longer and be provided with many more panel sections, each offset at different angles from each other to provide many and varied swimming pool wall configurations. The shapes are achieved by imparting generally vertical bends 16 to the wall 11. These bends 16 extend between the notches, where they intersect with the wall 11, regardless of whether it is the cut-out notch 15 or the slit 14.

In order to give the wall 11 suflicient strength to contain the large weight of water in the pool, splice plates 17 are provided. These plates are secured, as for example by welding, to the top and bottom flanges 12, 13. Preferably, the plates 17 are secured under the top flange 12, and over the bottom flange 13. This fixes the angle of divergence of the wall 11 on opposite sides of the vertical bend 16.

Such strengthening is accomplished, regardless of -the angular divergence of the wall 11 on opposite sides of the bend, by the use of a pentagonal shape for the splice plate 17, although other shapes such as rectangles or triangles could be used. The base 18 of the pentagonal plate 17 may be set against the bend 19 (see FIGURE 6) when there is a pool concavity. The apex 20 of the pentagonal plate 17 may be set against the bend 21 when there is a pool convexity,

To further reinforce the pool wall, a vertical brace 22 is provided. The brace 22 is preferably L-shaped. It is intrdouced between the top and bottom splice plates 17 that are attached to the top and bottom flanges 12, 13. It is welded or otherwise attached to the top and bottom splice plates 17, 17. It is also welded to the wall 11 at the bend 16. The wall 11 thus can Withstand the weight of water contained in the pool without buckling. In FIG- URE 8, the registration of the brace 22 with the base of the plate 17 is shown, at a point where it would engage a bend 16 of a concavity. In FIGURE 9, the registration of the brace 22 with the apex 20 of the plate is shown, at a point where it would engage a bend 16 of a convexity.

FIGURE 10 illustrates a complex pool wall shape. wherein the concave end of the pool utilizes an embodiment of the invention. The wall construction is extremely strong and extremely versatile, lending itself to numerous and varied swimming pool shapes.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein,

What is claimed:

1. A swimming pool wall construction comprising (a) a plurality of flat, relatively rigid, vertical metal pool wall segments attached together in end to end abutting relationship defining the closed periphery of the swimming pool,

(b) outwardly extending top and bottom integral flanges on the segments disposed in general perpendicularity thereto, and in general parallelism to each other,

(0) vertically disposed angular bends in at least some of the segments, the bends extending between the top and bottom flanges, selected bends in some of said segments projecting interiorly of the Wall and selected bends in other of said segments projecting exteriorly of said wall ((1) notches in the top flange and in the bottom flange at said bends extending from the vertical segment outwardly to the free edge of the flange,

(e) rigid splice plates disposed at the notches in the top and bottom flanges and overlapping a portion of the flanges adjacent to the notches, and rigidly secured to the flanges,

(f) angularly shaped, vertical braces extending between the top and bottom splice plates at the bends and attached at their top and bottom ends to the splice plates and at their longitudinal edges to the bends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 296,444 4/ 1884 Perkins 52-282 1,462,640 7/ 1923 Hoffman 220-62 2,116,020 5/ 1938 Gauvin 52-618 2,316,384 4/ 1943 Abramson 229-48 2,792,166 5/ 1957 Brooks 229-48 3,385,504 5/1968 Adams.

3,391,410 7/1968 Melberg.

FOREIGN PATENTS 15,861 1912 Denmark. 494,343 1938 Great Britain.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

